starr



Gummi UNITED IsTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

CHAS. STARR, OF NEW' YORK,` N. Y.

MACHINE FOR FINISHING THE BACKS OF BOOKS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 8,179, dated June 24, 1851.

To yall 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES STARR, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Machine to be used in Shaping, Embossing, Gilding, and Lettering the Backs of Books, which I denominate a Backer and Back-Finisher, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, in which- Figure l, is a frontelevation of the machine. Fig. 2, is aA side elevation of the same. Fig. 3, is a section through the center of the machine taken from the front to back. Fig. 4, is a back view. Fig. 5, is a detached view, representing a section of the roller head through the middle of one of the bearings. Fig. 6, shows the inside of one of the clamps. Fig. 7, is an edge view of the same. Fig. 8, is an inside or face View of one of the`bars which hold clamps. Fig. 9, is an edge view of the same. Fig. l0, is a section of one of the clamp supporters. Fig. 11, is a front View of one of the Suspenders. Fig. 12, is a horizontal section of the same, through the eye or hole which receives the tightening screw. Fig. 13, is a top view of the bookholder.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists, in holding and securing the book after it is forwarded in a pair of clamps or book holder hung upon pivots or ournals, in such a manner that when the book is secured the back forms an arc of a circle concentric with the axis of the journals on which the book holder swings, a roller either plain or grooved or having any suitable pat-tern or lettering cut engraved or set upon it is hung in suitable bearings in a roller head and controlled by weights and levers so as to bear with any requisite amount of pressure on the back of the book, while the book holder is being caused to swing on its journals, by which operation the roller gives the required form or impression to the back of the book.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, A, represent a frame of iron or other Y j suitable raised or lowered at pleasure by means of the screw bolts c, c, and the introducing or strong material standing on a table `B. There are also projections a, a, on the inner side of the frame at a suitable height above the table for the journals of the suspenders, and another on each side, immediately under these, and opposite the lower part of the'suspenders where the frame is perforated for the Stoppers.

lVithin the frame A, is fitted the roller head C, composed of iron or brass, or other material. This roller head is withdrawing of flat keys or lifts d, (l, and is guided in its motion by suitable tongues and grooves. Metal journal boxes or sliding holders e, e, are introduced between the aws f, f, at each end of the roller head see Fig. 5. They are kept in their places by dovetails or tongues and grooves, and serve to support the shaft, g, (shown in Fig. 3,) on which the roller Gr, turns when it is pressed down on t-he back of the book. The roller G, is about two inches more or less in diameter. Its .length is equal to the distance between the two jaws of the roller head. Then it is required to back raised band books there must be a roller used with grooves turned round the same corresponding in size and distance with the bands on the back of the book as represented in the drawing). When it is required to be used for embossing lettering or gilding the backs of books the face .of the roller must be suitably cut engraved or embossed to give the required impression to the book. y

Two levers H, H, loaded with adjustable weights I, and having their fulcra .in knuckles k, h, bear upon the top of pins z', attached to the boXes e, in such a manner as to be allowed to turn freely. j By this means the desired amount of pressure is given to the roller G. There are collars on the pins z', under which are spiral springs which when the levers are raised lift the roller from the back of the book that has been operated on. D represents a treadle designed to control the action of the levers H, H, being connected with them by the two levers Ic, c, andthe two connecting rods K, K. The two levers 7c, la, are connected in front by the treadle D, that by one pressure of the foot the levers H, H, may be raised at the same time.

Z, represents a spring catch or stopper design-ed to catch on the top of the treadle and hold it down. The stopper is disengaged from the treadle, by being pressed back.

1 E, E, represents a pair of clamps which with their appendages constitute the book holder designed for holding fast the book Y, while acted upon b y the backing roller, they are made of iron faced on the upper edge with steel. They are of various lengths and breadths, that they may be adapted to the size of the books to be backed; and of convenient thickness. A semicircle is cut out of the lower side of these clamps, leaving a leg on each end. This is done to allow the free use of the hand, while inserting and regulating the book between the clamps. They are rabbeted on the inner side at each end to allow room in clamping the thinner books, for the suspender-s which come between them at t-his point. Two flat bars L, L, of suitable width and thickness are connected with the two clamps by means of half round tongues and grooves, and hinge joints m, m, (see Figs. 3 and 7) a little Space being left between the bars and the clamps to allow of Slight play See Fig. These bars L, L, extend a short distance beyond the ends of the clamps. The ends of the bars have female screws cut in projections or bosses to receive the two right and left screws; n., n, of about an inch diameter, and left blank in the center for about one inch. The blank part of the screws fits in an oblong hole or slot in the center of the Suspenders M, M, (See Fig. 11), through which they are passed and are kept intheir proper place by grooves cut around them, and corresponding tongues inserted in the Suspenders, so as to allow of their being moved a short distance up and down. The clamps and the screws are connected with the frame A, by the two Suspenders M, M, which hang on pivots or journals 0, 0, passing through suitable bearings in the frame the lower ends of the Suspenders are turned to fit in holes bored in the supporters N, N, which are. secured to them by nut-s. Into recesses or boxes cut in these supporters are clamped by means of screws g, g, as shown in Fig. 10, stops 79, p, formed of small blocks of metal with a shoulder rising from them against which the ends of the clamps rest as shown in Fig. The object is to prevent the closing of the clamps too near, that the principal pressure may be given to the book by the upper edge. Small lifts are dropped in behind these stops to bring them so far out as may be necessary.

The clamps should be raised for a thick book, and lowered for a thin one bymeans of the nuts on the ends of the Suspenders always bringing the center of the Segment of the circle formed by the back of the book a little below the center of the suspender journals. henever it becomes necessary to raise or lower the clamps toward or from shafts of the screws. The intermediate pinion is turned by a crank P and thus causes the screws n, n, to press thebook close between the clam-ps to receive the impression of the roller. Four braces Q, Q, Q, Q, are fitted to and hung on t-he ends of the screws n, n, the lower ends being so fitted as .to slip over the ends of the supporters N, N, where they are held by set screws r, r. These steady the clamps and prevent either from falling below the other. A steady pin s, passes through each cheek or post of the frame and into the Suspenders near the lower end, to keep them and the clamps in an upright position while introducing and regulating the book between the clamps. These steady pins are capable of being withdrawn by the means hereinafter described. Two cylindrical slides t, t, pass through the frame A., a little above t-he journals 0, 0, these are capable of being moved easily back and forth giving mot-ion to the gages fu, o, consisting of flat plates of metal having their lower ends made to fit the shape the book presents before backing. These gages as they are carried back and forth by the slides t t slide upon a bar or bars to, w, made fast to the frame and so placed as to form two inclined planes; the said gages being provided with slots which fit to necks in the slides, and allow of the motion of the gages up and down, while the shoulders on each side of the neck prevent their motion longitudinally except with the slides. These gages are intended to hang when forward with their lower ends atl a suitable height to Stop the book in a suitable position in the clamps t-o be operated upon, the book being pushed up close to them before the clamps are screwed up, the clamps meantime being held in a vertical position to bring the book under the gages. 1Vhen the book is held fast by the closing of the clamps, these gages are thrown back against the cheeks of the` motion of the slides t, t, is also connected with that of the steady pins s by means of the levers W, IV, as seen in Figs. 1, and 4.

By moving the lever T, the steady pins s, s, and the slides t, t, are controlled and thrown backward and forward at pleasure. F, represents the crank secured to the spindle or axle of the left hand suspender. It is used to turn the clamps, and consequently the book, while t-he roller is pressing upon it to give the required form or impression to the back. Before the roller is allowed to press upon the back of the book, the lever T must be used to throw back the steady pins and the slides, and the clamps must be brought up so as to present the center of the book immediately opposite the center of the roller. The pressure will be regulated by the foot, allowing the roller to press but slightly upon the center of the book, increasing the pressure as it proceeds toward the outer edge. It should be lightened while returning again vtoward the center and then the pressure should be increase while rolling down the other side. This process may require to be repeated several times in backing, each operation rendering the work more perfect but in embossing gilding or lettering once performing it will usually be sutlicient.

The machine constructed as above described is moreA particularly adapted forv having concave peripheries have been used which were passed longitudinally over the back, nor do I claim the construction of the clamps or jaws between which the book is held, nor do I claim to have invented the use of circular engraved tools or rollers for embossing books, but

What I do claim isl. The use for the purpose described of a roller G, of the whole length or part of the length of the back of the book, either plain for a plain back book, or grooved for a raised banded book, or having a figure or figures cut or engraved or otherwise made upon it rolling over the back of the book from side to side or from the center to the sides and having a yielding pressure applied to it by weighted levers or their equivalents in the manner substantially as described.

2. I claim clampin or holding the book in a swinging book holer E, E, or its equivalent which hangs on pivots or 4journals o, o, and is capable of being swung back and forth, so as to cause the back of the book held in it to describe an arc of a circle, and bring each part of the back to the roller so that it shall receive an equal pressure all over its surface substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. The gages o, fv, sliding upon an inclined bar, or bars w, w, that they may be set to form guides for placing bot-h ends of the back of the book at an equal or nearly equal elevation in the clamp, so as to cause each part `to receive a uniform pressure, and may be drawn back from the book without dragging or rubbing the surface of the back, in the manner substantially as herein shown.

CHARLES STARR. Witnesses O. D. MUNN, R. W. FENWICK. 

